Austin Lee Tulley

Austin loved peek a boo. I would cover up my face and then move my hands away and say "Peek a boo" and he smiled the biggest smile. We could play peek a boo for a long time and he never seemed to get bored with it. It also liked "This little piggy" and he giggled when I said the part "... went wee wee wee all the way home!" He also liked, "Old McDonald Had a Farm" He especially liked the sound of the chicken and the horse.

I need to take a break from writing about Austin's last weekend, but I will come back to that. I was reminded the other day by another SIDS mommy of Austin sneezes - her daughter made the same noise when she sneezed. Whenever Austin sneezed, he would do a slight sigh afterwards, "like oh I'm glad that's over and I feel much better now." It was so cute... everyone around would laugh when he did it.

Austin's Last Weekend (Saturday, Part 1)

Saturday morning is a bit of a blur. I do remember that sometime during the weekend and I can't remember which day, Austin watched his first Baby Einstein video and he loved it! He watched the video very intently for about 20 minutes and then was ready to move on to something else. I remember watching it too, thinking how very boring - I coudn't believe that something so boring could be so entertaining for a baby. I also remember that Austin wore his "All American Boy" red, white and blue outfit on Saturday. I debated on whether to save it for July 4th weekend but I was worried that he might outgrow it by then so I decided to dress him in it for Memeorial Day weekend.

Austin, Nick and I went to my aunt and auncle's house around 11:00. Of course we packed everything. Gym, bouncy seat, pack-n-play, diaper bag, breastpump... its amazing how many accessories are needed for a baby. When we got to my aunt's house, Austin played for a while on his gym. My aunt has a yellow lab, Zoey, and she kept sniffing Austin while he was on his gym. Nick and I were so worried that she would step on him, but she didn't - they did just fine together. Then the we ate lunch. Austin started to get a little fussy so I nursed him and then put him to sleep in the pack-n-play in the guest bedroom. He slept for about 2 hours while we loaded stuff into the moving van to take to the storage unit. (My aunt and uncle were putting their house on the market so they were trying to de clutter.) Stay tuned for part 2 of Saturday....

Austin's Last Weekend (Friday)

Austin had been sick during the week with a minor cold so Nick stayed home with him on Thursday and on Friday he was off from work anyway. On Friday, Nick took Austin to the pediatrician who said he had a minor ear infection. The pediatrician prescribed an antibiotic and a decongestant. Austin really didn't act like he felt bad, but I was worried with it being a long weekend (Memorial Day Weekend) so to be on the safe side we made him an apointment anyway. Austin and Nick then came to the senior center where I work to visit. Then Nick, Austin, and I went to the Mexican restaurant for lunch. Austin was very good in the restaurant. He just sat in his infant seat playing with his toys. After lunch I went back to work and Nick and Austin went home. When I got home from work, my mom came over and we blew bubbles for the first time. Austin was amazed by the bubbles. He kept his eyes on them until they would eventually pop. After playing for a while, getting a bath, and a nursing session, Austin was off to bed.

Austin loved his changing table... he was on his changing table the first time I ever got him to smile. Austin liked to play when he was on his changing table. He would always laugh when I would say "I'm gonna get your nose... I'm gonna get your tongue... I'm gonna get your ears." One of his Easter gifts was a duck that sang the childen dance song. He loved that duck and the song. He could be crying and all I had to do was turn the duck on and Austin was automatically captivated. The duck sat on the changing table. When Austin was about 4 and a half months old he got a terrible case of diaper rash. The only diaper cream that seemed to help was the Burt's Bees brand (all natural products). I used to joke that Austin didn't smell like a baby... he smelled like Burt's Bes!